WTC National Championship (West) Sam King takes Pro class at WTC National

As most people are aware, the WTC National had to be moved to a different location and date, due to the Forest Fire situation in BC.

So we were not at all sure how many riders would show up, and what the response would be from the owners of the Carl Kuster Mountain Park.

It is therefore extremely gratifying to announce that the Sammy King event went over really well, with some 30 plus riders, and everybody having a good time. The weather stayed dry, and we had quite a lot of spectators. In fact, the management at CKMP are so happy that they have already agreed to host three WTC Trials events for 2018.

We had riders from all over Western Canada, many trying the sport for the first time, including Lady rider Dominique Doyan, (Beta) who took home the #1 WTC Championship plate . We saw some fantastic rides as we stopped by the sections, Steve Day was very impressive the day after his birthday celebrations, taking the Vertigo to first place Expert, and claiming the #1 plate ahead of arch rival and good buddy Stan Bakgaard. But perhaps the hero of the day was young Bodi Watts, from Wainwright Alberta, who absolutely romped through the course, on his Outlaw Beta Evo 200, losing only 4 points (but we have to get him to smile sometime - a very serious young lad).

At the sharp end of the scale, it was a battle between Sam King (Outlaw TRS) and Sean Bird (Mountain Beta) with only 5 points separating these two good friends at the end. We were very impressed by the third lad on the podium, Tanner Nordin (Mountain TRS) who was riding the top class for the very first time.

It was Ross Rathbone (Outlaw Beta) who survived a couple of crashes to take the Senior Advanced Class, while Jay Colley (Mont) from Ymir, BC, beat out young Kolten Morrisson (Beta) in the Advanced class.

The largest entry was in the Intermediate Class, and it was Shane Bridden (Outlaw TRS) who rode brilliantly to take the win and #1 plate, but young Job Wylie from Prince George was looking good on the ex-Outlaw Beta Evo 200, and who will definitely be a future contender in the sport. Another new rider switching from the cross-country race scene, Dustin Labby (Outlaw Beta) finished 3rd in this class.

But perhaps the rider who deserves special mention, is our good buddy Taff Parfitt, who won the Senior Inter Class, despite breaking the clutch hose on his Outlaw Beta, and “Cleaned” the last 4 sections with no clutch! Mick Andrews would have been proud of him.

Of course the heroes at any Trials event are the checkers, who stand out all day so that the riders can enjoy their sport. So to these folk we say a big heartfelt thank-you.

To the Management and staff from the CKMP, it was a pleasure to be able to bring this WTC National to your door, we thank you for your support, and look forward to hosting many more WTC events at your wonderful location.

And Finally, what can I say about Sammy King? It's now four years since he first emailed me from Australia asking for help when he visited Canada, and now, not only has he won the WTC National (West), but also put on his very first Trial. To say that we are proud of him is perhaps an understatement. He absolutely lives for the sport, and his enthusiasm is contagious - we are certainly happy to have him as part of our Outlaw Family.

And last but not least, a big thanks to Julie and Judy, who not only looked after sign up and score keeping, but also checked a section. It's been a very unusual year for WTC Trials in BC with the Forest Fires; we thank you all for coming out and we hope you enjoyed yourselves; we look forward to doing it all again in 2018. But before that, we do have the last round of the Outlaw series to look forward to in two weeks in Victoria BC. Call Dave Rhodes if you need anything, or more Trials information.